Manufacture of sulfuric acid.



A. B. FOSTER.

MANUFACTURE OF SULFURIC ACID.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23. 1914.

Patented Sept. 3,1918.

'Withea s meas es;

Specification of Letters Patent.

MANUFACTUBE OE SULFURIG ACID.

. Application filed July 23, 1914. Serial No. 852,728.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'l, ARTHUR B. Fos'rnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new land useful Improvements in the Manufacture of" Sulfuric Acid, of

' which the following is a specification.

ments in the chamber process of making sulfuric. acid. and in an apparatus therefor, and

has for jts particular object, the, productionof a method anrl'an apparatus, whereby the amount of acid produced in a given chamber plant may be increased, and the amount of --coneentrated sulfuric acid produced in a given'chamber plant,fl.may also be increased. By this method also ,it is more easy to regulate'the. process, in order to make the same 'run smoothl- 4 These an other objects areobtained by the use of the apparatus shownin the annexeddrawings, in which drawings, Figure 1 shows a' vertical diagrammatic view of an acid plant, equipped in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 2 shows the location of onepreferred form of atomizer. Tn said drawings 1 represents a source of hot gases containing 80,, such as sulfur or pyrites burners, which may beof the usual and well known type,'2'v represents a flue leading to a Glovertower 3, represent the chambers, shown as being broken away, "in order to get'theentire drawing on one sheet, 5 represents-theordinary Gay Lussac tower, 6 represents an auxiliary Gay Luss'ac toweror regulating tower. The parts 3, 4,

5 and 6 are connected in the usual way with each other, by means of suitable flues 7,

' which may in the present instance consist of glazed terracotta pipes. This much of the apparatus is all old and well known, and

- no claim is made thereto.

Placed within the fiues 7 leading into the chambers 4, Iplace atomizers ,8, which are fed. with chamber acid, or other sulfuric acid,"preferably acid containing oxids of nitrogen, place of which Tmay employ if desi-red,'waste acids from nitrating processes, whichcontain nitric acid, which may.

be more orless'diluted, The acid delivered to the atomizers may be introduced through pipes 9, by'meansof centrifugal pumps or the like, as illustrated at 10.

After each of the chambers, or after some i of the chambers, I preferably-provide towers the gases. These towers may be omitted if, desired,' but will preferably be placed after each of the chambers, except the last. These The present invention relates toimprove-v I Lunge tower or the-last chamber, or both,

. Patented se t. areas,

and delivering this acid to either the atomizer placed before thelast chamber, or to the last Lunge tower, or to both, suitable valves being shown for. this purpose. Con: nected to thebottom of the last chamber 4, and also connected to the bottom of the tower 6, I have shown "a pipe, for introducing acid from the last part'of the towef system, into an atomizer placed before the first, chamber, by, means of a pump 10. This. arrangement may also be extended, and all'the" acid used for the atomizers may be drawn from the last chamber, or partly from the last chamber, and partly fromthe Gay Lus sac toweror 'auxlliary tower, and passed into each of the several atomi'zers. The

pipe 17 may be employed for'delivering acid from the bottom of one of the chambers. at Y the front part ofthe series, to the regulating towel, or to-the- Gay Lussac tower, or if desired, the acid from the Glover tower, and.

acid from the-firstphamber may be mixed,

and used for washing the gases in the Gay} Lussac towers;

Iii-operating the plant, 1 preferably introduce all the air-to the pyrites burners, below the grates, in order that the gases 1 produced in said burners will contain a rela tively large 'amountof- S0 and a relatively small amount of free oxygen, by means of which the gases produced in these burners,

will be considerably hotter than ordinary pyrites burner gases, and will contain a larger quantity of S0,, in proportion to the total gas volume, and a correspondingly smaller amount of free oxygen: Such a gas mixture may also be produced in any other suitable way if desired. By the use of this comparatively hot gas, the acid in the Glover tower will be concentrated, more than in the ordinary operation of the chamber plant, and on account of the fact that these-gases are unusually high in S0,, the

denitration will be more completely effected in the Glover tower, than in the ordinal manufacture of sulfuric acid, thereby e' fecting a considerable saving of nitrogen compounds. V

The gases leaving the top of the Glover tower, as previously noted, will be somewhat deficient in free oxygen, on accou nt of which I introduce through the first atomizer 8, a certain quantity of free air, inorder to furnish suflicient oxy en for the reactions to 'increasedproduction' of acid, in the first chamber, since' 'each of these small droplets- I tially all mist 'or fine drops ofacid, after through the fine 7, leading into introducea quantity of air, and

take place in the rst chamber, along with said air, I introduce aspray of very fine drops of acid, the result of which is an of acid, will form a-nucleus, upon which sulfuric acid can readily condense. The carrying of the gases through the Lunge tower 12, will free'the gases'from all, or substanwhich the operation of again charging the gases in the system, with-a finemist of acid passing will be. repeated, in the gases,

the second chamber. In each of the atomizers 8, I the relative quantities of air introduced through the sev eral atomizers in the system,- will be'regulated, in order to produce sufficient free oxygen for the reactions to take place in the produce more acid in the . atomizers,

, following chamber, and Lunge tower, with of free oxygen, to enable a modified form of procedure, Ifmay use acid from the last chamber, may not be mixed with acid Lussac tower, for feeding which may or from the Gay to all of the and since the acid produced in the latter part of the system contains more oxids of nitrogen, this will. decrease the loss of n'iter from the system, and will also the'respective chambers, by furnishing oxids of nitrogen to the 4 of these atomizers, is the thorou gases.

Another advantage obtained by the use of the gases, at a plurality of points in the chambersystem. Instead of using chamber acid, in the several atomizers, I may employ nitric acid, or waste nitrating. acids, con.-

taining nitric and sulfuric acids, orother The atomizers 8, should,

withstanding the corrosive effect of the substantially the entire volume of through the system,

I chambers,

gh mixing acids, and of the'flue gases, glass'being a suitable material, fused, silica-also being suitable. j i 'Theatomizers should be of such construction, and operated in such. a manner, that gases passingthrough the flues 7 will be brought into contact with the spray of fine drops of acid.

will act as an injector, 'to increase, and thereby regulate, the draft, or the passage of the gases through the'system. v It will be noted from'the drawing, that the mist of acid from'the atomizers, is preferably. introduced into direction in whichthe gasesare traveling which produces .a more intimate mixture of theliquidparticlcs with the gases, and also does not impede the flow of the gases through the system.

What I claim is 1. In the manufacture' of- 'acidLin chambers, the step of repeatedly atomizing chamber acid into the-chamber gases at a plurality of places by means of a gaseous fluid containing oxygen.

2. In the manufacture of sulfuric acid in chambers, the atomization in the direction of flow of the gases therethrough, of acid from those of the chambers where the acid contains a relatively large amount of nitrogen-oxygen compounds, into the gases in a plurality gases enter the chambers.

the gases, in the same.

1 If so desired, the dues 7,!may also be con- 'structed in such amann'er', that the introduction of the air through the atomizersof the flues through which the 3. In the manufacture of sulfuric acid in chambers, the step of atomizing into the gases traversing the flues of an acid-making system, and in v the direction of flow of the gases therethrough, amist of acid. containing an oxygen-nitrogen compound, at each of a plurality-of separate points. i

4. In the manufacture of sulfuric acid the step of mixing substantially the entire volumeof the reacting 'gases, pass ing through a flue between two chambers,

with an acid containing nitrogen-oxygen compounds, in the form of a mist of liquid particles, said mist being introduced in the direction of the flow of said gases, and 'introducing, at the same point, a gas containing an ingredient in which the-chamber gases enteringsaid flue are deficient. V

5. The process of. making sulfuric acid, which comprises the step of atomizing into at least one of the flues through which the .gases enter-the chambers, and in the direction of the'flow of gases, chamber'acid from the rear chambers. liquids containing nitric acid, or nitrogen oxygen compounds.

of course, bemade of a material capable of 6.-=The process of making sulfuric acid than is necessary for complete conversion into sulfuric acid by the chamber. process, introducing in the direction of the flow of the gases a mist of fine particles of acid containing nitrogen-oxygen compounds andair at a plurality of separate points, separating at least a portion of said mist from the gases at each of a plurality of points, said air being in combined amounts, suflicient to produce an excess of free oxygen in the gases in the rear part of the acid-making system.

7. The process of making sulfuric acid which comprises the steps of burning sulfurous material in air, in amount so re stricted as to produce gases having insuificient free oxygen for complete commercial conversion into sulfuric acid by the chamber process, atomizing into the flues at a plurality of points, a mist of acid, containing a nitrogen-oxygen compound, by blast of an oxygen-containing gas, and removing at least a part of the mist at each of a plurality of points, by passing the mist-laden gases through a space containing a filling material.

8. The process of making sulfuric acid which comprises the steps of burning sulfurcoiitaining material in air in amount so re stricted as to produce gases deficient in free oxygen, atomizing into the flues at a plurality of points, flow of the gases, air, mists of sulfuric acid of substantially chamber strength, said acid containing an oxygen-nitrogen compound, and removing the mist from the gases at a plurality of points. 1

9. An apparatus for making sulfuric acid comprising a source ofgases containing sulfur iiioxid, a Glover tower, a 561168 of chambers, flues connecting these, atomizers arranged in at least some of said flues adapted to deliver a liquid into the gases, in the direction of flow of the gases and means for operating said atomizers.

10. An apparatus for making sulfuric acid comprising a burner for producinggases containing sulfur dioxid, means for regulating the composition of the gases produced therein, a Glover tower, a plurality of chambers, flues connecting the burner, tower and chambers, and atomizers arranged to deliver a liquid into at least some of the and in the direction of the and by means of blasts of 11. In the manufacture of sulfuric acid,

the step'of atomizing, in the direction of flow of the gases therethrough, intoat least some of the flues intermediate the chambers, sulfuric acid containing 'relatively more nitrogen-oxygen compounds than average chamber acid, said atomization being ef-' fected by a gas containing a constituent in which the chamber gases at the point of introduction are deficient.

12. In the manufacture of sulfuric acid by the chamber process, the herein de scribed steps of repeatedly atomizing, into the reacting gases, during the travel of the latter through the flues leading into at least some of the several chambers and in the direction of flow of the gases therethrough, a mist of finely divided particles of an acid liquid containing nitrogen-oxygen compounds, passing the gases from' atleast a plurality of the chambers through spaces provided with fillings, whereby a major portionof the liquid particles is removed from such gases at such points.

13. Apparatus for making sulfuric acid comprising burners, a Glover tower, chambers, a Gay Lussac tower, and flues connecting such elements, atomizers arranged in at least some ofsaid flues, delivering in the direction of flow of the gases therethrough, and gas and liquid connections to such atom- 12ers.

14. An acid making system comprising burners, a Glover tower, chambers, a Gay Lussac tower, other intermediate filled towers, and flues connecting such elements; and atomizers in at least some of such flues, arranged to deliver in the direction of flow of the gases therethrough.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

v ARTHUR B. FOSTER. Witnesses: I

R. MGCONNELL, BENNETT S. Jones, 

